Wildlife sanctuary near Canberra to be restored under new agreement
Sanctuary owners the Larcombe family signed an agreement with AWC to work together to restore biodiversity to Wandiyali. (l-r: Sandy Hume, Carolyn Larcombe, AWC Chief Executive Tim Allard, and David Larcombe). Photo: E Gearing/AWC

Threatened native animals which have long been missing from the grassy hills around Canberra are set to thrive once more, under a new agreement to restore the family-owned Wandiyali~Environa Wildlife Sanctuary

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) has announced a 10-year collaboration with owners of the sanctuary, the Larcombe family, with a shared vision to bring back the site’s missing biodiversity.

Under the agreement, AWC will help shape conservation plans for the sanctuary, including a strategy for restoring species which have gone locally extinct. Small mammals including bandicoots, antechinus, bettongs, quolls, and several species of native rodents, as well as threatened frogs, will be among the species assessed as candidates for reintroduction. The project will also support important research into the factors that contribute to successful species reintroductions.

Located at the intersection of Ngambri, Ngarigo, Ngunnawal and Ngunawal country, Wandiyali consists of 300 hectares of open woodland and grassland communities, including a significant patch of critically endangered Box Gum Grassy Woodlands. It protects habitat for threatened species including Swift Parrot, Gang-Gang, Pink-tailed Worm Lizard and Small Purple-pea, as well as a section of Jerrabomberra Creek.

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